HOUSTON, Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With a panel of automotive industry insiders including Roger Penske and Craig Jackson serving as the judges, Harold Craige of New Bern, N.C., a self-described "1941 model with modern updates," emerged as the grand prize winner in the Shell V-Power® "Ultimate Enthusiast" Contest. Automotive enthusiasts from across the country shared their stories of why they were the most deserving of the title of the "Ultimate Enthusiast," but it was Craige's passion for performance and educating future generations of drivers that set the grand prize winner apart from the competition.

As the newly-minted grand prize winner, Craige will receive an "Ultimate Enthusiast" week in Italy, where he and a guest will explore the country's historic sites and rich automotive history, including an exclusive Ferrari experience in the Prancing Horse's home town of Maranello, Italy where he will have the fantastic opportunity to witness first-hand how Shell has worked closely with Ferrari for more than 60 years on its technical partnership.

"I'm thrilled to be recognized as the 'Ultimate Enthusiast' and incredibly honored that these superstars in the automotive world thought so highly of my entry and ultimately my passion for cars," said Craige, a 71-year old whose submission detailed an unwavering appreciation for the "rolling art" of automobiles. "I'm already counting down the days until I touch down in Italy. What a way to start off the new year!"

Craige was announced as the grand prize winner at the opening night gala of the 42nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he was joined by fellow finalists Paul Gabriel (El Cajon, Calif.) and Ross Luzzader (Hyde Park, Utah). All three finalists received a VIP experience at Barrett-Jackson's world famous car auction and a year's worth* of Shell V-Power® Premium Gasoline, which helps deliver maximum protection for optimal performance of their most prized possessions.

"We wanted to find and celebrate true automotive enthusiasts and we did. There were so many unique tales but they all had one thing in common...an overwhelming passion for all things automotive and a deep appreciation for the automotive community," said Elizabeth Hudson, US Fuels category manager at Shell Oil Products US. "While we received a variety of amazing stories, Harold truly stood out and demonstrated an unrelenting passion for automobiles and performance and it's with that same pride in performance that goes into the development of fuels like Shell V-Power® Premium Gasoline."

"Harold possesses a rare trait that I really admire," said Penske. "[In his entry] he showcased an ability to educate others in the realm of automobiles and strives to teach the future generations the value of an older automobile."

Fellow judge Tony Marini added, "When it comes to being an 'Ultimate Enthusiast' I would say Harold fits the bill. His love for automobiles started when he was a young boy and as he has grown, his love for cars has grown."

While the Shell Ultimate Enthusiast Contest is now closed, consumers still have the opportunity to win a $50 Shell Gift Card by becoming a fan of the Shell Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shell and entering the daily online giveaway on the On The Road tab.

*For the purposes of this Prize, "a year's worth of Shell V-Power® Premium Gasoline" is calculated as the average consumer's yearly gasoline consumption of 636 gallons (4.5 fuel purchases per month x 11.77 gallons of gasoline per purchase x 12 months) at an average August 2012 cost of $3.991 / gallon (consistent with the U.S. Department of Energy statistics for "Motor Gasoline Retail Prices, U.S. City Average" released on August 29, 2012 (636 x $3.991 = $2,538.276).

About Shell

Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company and Saudi Refining, Inc.

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries. [(NYSE:RDS.A) and (NYSE:RDS.B)]

About The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company

Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Barrett-Jackson specializes in providing products and services to classic and collector car owners, astute collectors and automotive enthusiasts around the world. The company produces "The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions ™" in the finest cities in the nation. Barrett-Jackson also endorses a one-of-a-kind collector car insurance offering for collector vehicles and other valued belongings. For more information about Barrett-Jackson, visit http://www.barrett-jackson.com or call (480) 421-6694.

Definitions and cautionary statement

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this press release refer to companies in which Royal Dutch Shell either directly or indirectly has control, by having either a majority of the voting rights or the right to exercise a controlling influence. The companies in which Shell has significant influence but not control are referred to as "associated companies" or "associates" and companies in which Shell has joint control are referred to as "jointly controlled entities". In this press release, associates and jointly controlled entities are also referred to as "equity-accounted investments". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect (for example, through our 23% shareholding in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.) ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this press release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These factors also should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, January 18, 2013. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this press release that United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

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